Two brothers from Texas have been charged with a series of serious felonies following an alarming incident in Grant, Minnesota, last week that drew significant law enforcement attention near Mahtomedi High School. Both men, aged 24 and 23, are facing multiple charges, including three counts of using a firearm to kidnap, three counts of first-degree assault during a burglary with a firearm, and one count of first-degree robbery involving a firearm.
The situation unfolded on a Friday afternoon when a distressed man called 911, reporting that he and his family were being held hostage in their home. The caller’s father, under duress, was compelled to transfer at least $36,000 from his accounts to an unknown cyber wallet. Subsequently, the family was forced to travel to a cabin located approximately three hours away, where the victim was again coerced into transferring another $36,000.
In the initial reports, the father indicated to investigators that he suspected his account information might have been compromised due to a data breach.
Authorities acted swiftly, conducting a search around the family’s residence, during which they uncovered a suitcase hidden along a tree line. Inside, officers discovered an AR-15 style rifle along with various personal items and a receipt from a Wendy’s restaurant. This receipt proved crucial, as it helped trace the vehicle used during the transaction, which was identified as a rental originating from Houston, Texas.
Surveillance footage revealed the same vehicle parked outside a residence belonging to the man who rented it, as well as his brother’s home in Waller, Texas. The vehicle’s journey was tracked back to a motel in Roseville, Minnesota, where the brothers had booked rooms shortly before the incident.
On September 19, the suspects confronted one of the victims while he was disposing of trash, armed and masked, compelling him to return to the garage where he was subsequently tied up. Following this, the brothers entered the home, waking and binding the other family members. One of the suspects then held them at gunpoint in a bedroom for approximately nine hours. Authorities later found that the door to this bedroom had been secured with wire, necessitating cutting for the victims’ eventual escape.
The crime escalated as the brother tied up in the garage was ordered to access his cryptocurrency accounts to transfer funds. A 911 call was made just as they returned to the house, which allowed police to arrive at the scene. At that moment, the suspect driving the vehicle attempted to evade law enforcement but ultimately abandoned the car along with a firearm in a nearby field. The other brother, who had been inside the house, fled on foot and was captured on surveillance cameras.
The two brothers’ whereabouts were tracked using GPS data from the rented vehicle, which exhibited movement between Texas and Minnesota from September 16 to 20. Following a search in Oklahoma, the vehicle was intercepted, and one brother informed authorities that his AR-15 had been reported stolen shortly after the incident. The weapon’s serial number matched that of the firearm located in Minnesota, while the second firearm used was also registered to the same brother.
Currently, both suspects are being held in Texas on a 48-hour hold, and prosecutors have requested their extradition back to Minnesota for court proceedings. The police activity related to the search for the brothers had widespread implications, including the cancellation of Mahtomedi High School’s homecoming football game. In a separate development, Kennedy High School in Bloomington forfeited its scheduled game against Mahtomedi the following Monday due to the situation.
